On a scorching Wednesday in June, 44 high school students, clad in yellow gowns, safety glasses, and purple gloves, slowly entered the simulated clinic on the 14th floor of Tufts University School of Dentistry.
With music blaring in the background, they were about to embark on a unique dental experience—dyeing their teeth pink and filling simulated cavities themselves.
The students were participating in the inaugural “Mini Dental School” at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) Boston campus.
Part of the school’s pre-college program, the five-day program, designed for rising juniors and seniors and recent graduates, featured lectures, hands-on workshops, group discussions, and a tour of Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus.
Michael Song, a third-year dental student, led the students in a “first lesson in oral health,” introducing dental plaque, the “supervillain” that causes cavities and gum disease.
After engaging in lively discussion and questions, the students each chewed a pink tablet containing dye to reveal plaque on their teeth. The room erupted in laughter as students showed off their purple-pink teeth and took tooth selfies.
Ilia Gorshkove from Parkland, Florida, described the taste of the pills as “sweet at first, then bitter, and then melting in your mouth.” She and her classmates excitedly compared tooth color and encouraged each other with “You look great!”
“Our goal was to design an authentic and immersive dental experience so that students could truly experience dental school and consider whether dentistry is a career path for them,” said clinical instructor Jason Cummins.
He co-developed the curriculum with program coordinator Anna Lubitz, 26. Lubitz previously helped develop the dental curriculum for Tufts University’s pre-med mini-med school, and her feedback there provided valuable insight into the program’s design.
The summer camp brought together a diverse group of students. Nearly half were from Massachusetts, with others hailing from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Illinois, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, and Taiwan. Cummins said six students received full scholarships, and two others received partial funding.
Over the five-day program, students learned in-depth from TUSDM faculty about X-ray examinations, cavity identification, and cancer screening. Associate Professor Hugo Campos, using Play-Doh and a sleep mask, vividly demonstrated how dentists use radiography to identify potential oral diseases.
Seven TUSDM dental students served as teaching assistants, with Michael Song as the lead teaching assistant. They provided hands-on instruction in restorative procedures and taught students about tooth anatomy and filling techniques.
Angel Permenter, a high school student from Memphis, Tennessee, said she had long been curious about dentistry and learned about the program online. Although initially nervous, she quickly immersed herself in the hands-on experience and particularly enjoyed the hands-on experience of repairing dentures.
Cummins hopes that through the mini-dental school, students will not only learn about the path to becoming a dentist but also explore various career options within the dental field, such as academic research, oral surgery, and pediatric dentistry.
He emphasized, “We want them to feel free to ask questions of the teaching assistants and build real connections, making it easier for them to understand what dental school is really like.”
The mini dental school concluded successfully with a graduation ceremony, where students presented their weeklong learning and group research projects, covering hot topics such as “The Impact of E-cigarettes on Oral Health.”
After the event, Lubitz reflected, “If I had had the opportunity to participate in a similar program in high school, I might have decided to pursue a career in dentistry much earlier. The guidance and hands-on experience provided by the instructors are invaluable to the students.”